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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. suit — clothes
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. suit — in cards
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com